Meta Knight Chronicles EDIT
by Neiyoko
Summary: *The edited version of MKC* An Evil that had haunted Meta Knights past has now taken over N.M.E.'s company and is reviving the fear that had plagued the galaxy. Will Meta Knight be able to face this evil or will he fight with it.
1. Prologue

The sun glowed between the twin mountains that sat in the horizon. The creature watching the scene move on was known to be a Draklen. A race that would be mistaken to be monsters created by N.M.E. The war between N.M.E. and the Star Warriors went on for many years now and was starting to its toll on the warriors. The monsters never get tired. How could they? They were created to keep going until they die. That was aggravating the young Draklen. He was the commander of a group of warriors. A Division he liked to call it. Many of his soldiers were Draklens. They were the best in the Star Warriors army. However, the constant looking after the smaller ones, the other Star Warriors, during battle as been wearing them out and helping them fall prey to the monsters.

"Lord Brigade. We have word that a group of monsters have been spotted heading towards the valley." said a Draklen soldier who had ran up the hill to his leader. He had spiky hair and carried an Ax as his weapon. He wore silver armor with a dull gray cape. His sharp teeth poked out of the corners of his mouth like other Draklens but not very much. Brigade turned around to face his subordinate. Brigade was one a the few large Draklens that were fighting. He was at least two feet taller than his soldier was. His fangs were much more noticeable than any other Draklen in the squad. He wore dark gray armor with ever-darker gray cape. The armor plates that ran down his tail had a spike coming out of them and carried twin swords that only he could lift. He growled at the news. Monsters... It's always monsters.

"Tell everyone we move out in an hour." he told him with a calm expression. The soldier bowed his head and turned to leave.

"And Goliathan. Make sure the younger ones are sparred from this battle. We can't afford to loose any more young soldiers to these beast." The commander told his soldier. Goliathan nodded and left to tell the troops their orders.

The Draklen heaved a heavy sigh as he turn and looked to the sky. When will this end so he could go home to his own family. Turning he started to head back to the troops when some thing caught his attention. His head snapped to the valley, he could sense something else was coming other than monster.

A creature no one has ever seen before was running for his life. He had no idea that this was the beginning of a long life journey to stop this war. The little blue ball ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He needed to get to the valley. The monsters were right behind him and fatigue was starting to take over. He felt he almost didn't have the strength to keep holding the sword that was still in his hand. He must have been running for hours. Soon the trees started to thin out and the grassed seemed it was getting higher. He stopped to look for shelter to hide from the monsters that were pursuing him. He found a hole framed by stones and a tree. He quickly dove into it. He watched as the monsters ran past him, not knowing that he was there. He sighed in relief and in pain. His lungs hurt and his feet hurt from the running he did. After the pain finally left him, thoughts started to flood into his mind. He didn't know where he was, how he got there or why those monsters were after him. The only thing he knew was his name. Meta Knight. That's his name but who is he? Why is he here? The questions kept coming but he soon didn't want to think anymore. He was tired and wanted to escape this world for a bit. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

The little guy woke up with fear in his heart when the ground shook. The movement of the ground was the reason for him waking up. He went deeper into the small cave hoping that he wouldn't be found. As he hid, he heard cries and screams of both monsters and Star Warriors fill the air. He didn't know what was going nor did he want to. Than all of a sudden the tree that helped hid him was torn back. The roots erupted out of the ground, causing dirt to fly everywhere. The small blue creature stood in the clear and open area in fear. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. His fear sky rocketed when one of the Star Warriors cried out "There's another one!" The creature watched as the Warriors fought against the Monsters. He didn't know how long the battle on or how long he was watching but soon it was over. The Monsters were all killed and many of the Warriors were injured.

"Hey! There's something over by that tree!" one warrior called out. The blue creature finally found his strength to high tail it out of there, but before he could get away he ran into something large and hard. He fell to the ground with a loud smack and rubbed his rear before looking at what he ran into.

The Draklen Commander towered over him as he looked down at the small being. The sun was behind him making him look dark and black with white glowing eyes. He looked monstrous, more deadly than any monsters Meta had ever in countered.

Gasping Meta Knight sat straight up in his bed. His heart pounding as if he was actually there in front of the figure. His breathing was exhausted from the scare and making his chest hurt. After getting a hold of him self, Meta Knight pulled the blankets off but stopped when he noticed that they were stinking to his skin. He peeled them off and looked around his room. Sword Knight and Blade Knight were still sleeping in their beds. Meta Knight sighed and got out of bed. There was no reason to try and get back to sleep. Instead he went to walk around the castle. He might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts before Kirby comes by and the King makes a fuss.


	2. Chapter 1

It was a brand new day in Dreamland. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Tuff was kicking the soccer ball back and forth with Kirby. Several years have past since the fall of N.M.E. Kirby had grown and learned to talk finally. His personality grew more and more making himself into his own person and not just a star warrior. Tuff grew older but was still stubborn about some things. His hair grew a little longer and his bangs were finally cut where you could see his face. The outfit changed into a vest and pants as well. Tiff watched the two play in the clearing behind the castle walls. She too grew older and wiser over the years. Her hair shorter and her cloths a little like sleeves and the designs on them. She became even more book smart as she read, feeding her mind with new things to learn. Everyone were at ease except for one. Meta Knight was also watching with tired and drained eyes. He felt like he hasn't slept in months when in reality it was weeks. The dreams came more and more in depth with each time. The same one over and over again with more information revealing itself as it went. The dreams were robbing him of his sleep and the knight couldn't do a thing about it. As he watched the kids he began to wonder. Why was he having the dream? Was it trying to tell him something? Something he had forgotten? It worried him. What if it was important? What was he to do? There had to be a reason this. Closing his eyes memories of his past come to him calmly as if the dreams weren't even happening. Slowly stress began to creep up on him as he tried to sort through his memories. His body began to shake from his attempt making the knight feel sick and a little dizzy. His past wasn't pretty nor were his experiences in the war. The war against N.M.E had been horrible. Watching his friends and comrades die as the Monsters roared by. Meta Knight tried to fight off that dreaded feeling while the memories came to him but lost every time. Something else was bothering him as well. He felt uneasy for some reason. Yes there was peace but there was something else out there. Something that was long had been forgotten during the war. While the older veteran was deep in his thoughts two other figures were watching him with worry in their eyes. Sword and Blade Knight wanted to urge their leader to go and rest. The nightmares made themselves known even to them. They could hear Meta Knight wake up with a start and even crying out but did their best to show it didn't disturb them. The only thing is that this has gone on far to long.

"Something's wrong with him Blade. He's never acted like this before," Sword looked at his friend. Blade nodded in agreement.

"Meta Knight never lost sleep do to Nightmares... I never even heard him having any until recently..." he continued. The knight griped his own sword.

"What can we do? You know how stubborn he is. The guy won't sleep if he feels there's dangers." Blade put his hand on his friends shoulder. He could understand Swords concern but even he knew how hard it was to get Meta Knight to do what he should to keep himself healthy. The two sighed and kept looking at the one they followed for years.

Meta Knight was acting strangely and this was making the two feel like something was going on that they don't know about. Blade and Sword never really fought in the war, but knew what had gone on and understood the danger that was involved. Sword understood that he doesn't have any special abilities as Meta Knight did, but he could sense the uneasiness in his leader's pose. He finally gathered up the strength and courage to go up to his master. Sword walked out from his hiding place and approached Meta Knight.

"Is something wrong, Sword Knight?" Meta Knight asked without turning around. After being together for so many years, Meta Knight was able to recognize who was approaching just from the sound of their footsteps. Looking to the skies he waited for the question to come out. It was bound to come sooner or later. Something like this is far to hard to hide from those who care about you.

"Meta Knight, we're worried about you. We know about your bad nights and that you're uneasy about something. Please tell us what's bothering you. Maybe we can help you," Sword said. The sound of worry was heavy in his voice. It was obvious about how much the two cared for him. After all, Meta Knight saved their lives and let them follow him around. The deed helped the knight find their paths and gave them other than themselves to care about.

Meta Knight was silent for several minutes. The clouds moved slowly today and were a bright white in color. However, the feeling of peace was not running down like rain like it was in the beginning.

"I'm afraid even I don't have the answer to that... This is something that is deeper than just dreams... Something is out there... I'm afraid Nightmare isn't entirely gone yet." he said looking to face Sword. It was almost painful to look at Meta Knight in the eyes. It was like he aged a hundred years in about a week. The bright yellow was now dimmer and his stance was far to loose. The poor man was close to falling asleep where he stood.

"Lord Meta Knight, maybe you should turn in for the after noon. Go back to the room and rest since you haven't been sleeping well." Blade finally suggested. He had to at least try to get his master to rest. Even if it meant for Meta Knight to just sit and watch the TV.

Meta Knight was about wave it off and say he was fine when suddenly he became faint and memories from a forgotten past started to flood in. Pieces from when he first join and faces of those that were dear to him who were long gone were in front of his mind making his stagger. Frightened both of his followers rushed to his sides to help steady him.

"Meta Knight! Are you okay?" Sword quickly help Blade lead Meta Knight to a near by beach chair. Meta Knights whole body was shaking. They never saw their leader scared or in any kind of distress before and this scared them.

"Meta Knight?" Blade was as concerned for him as Sword was.

"I think you maybe right... I need to go and try to get some rest..." his voice was so tired and shaky from what just happened. He had to admit, even he was scared from just happened. Something like was very rare and the fact it was happening when there was peace was never a good sign. After sitting in silence for a few minutes he got up to start to walk to his room. He felt older than he actually was and he could feel something deep with in himself turning. Maybe it was his lack of sleep playing with his stomach. Walking slowly, Meta Knight headed in side.

"Meta Knight?" Sword said reaching his hand out a bit.

Meta Knight stopped and stood in front of the entrance to the dark hallway.

"If you need anything. Lets us know. " he continued. Quietly Meta Knight nodded and disappeared into the darkness. Sword sighed in frustration. He wanted to help Meta Knight to become normal again but there was only so much he could do. He turned to Blade.

"Let's keep an eye on Kirby for Meta Knight," he said. Blade nodded and the two friends headed down to the courtyard. They still thought about Meta Knight's problem but still tried their best to do their job well.

Meta Knight walked wearily down the hallway. All those memories were zapping his strength from him. As he walked he let his mind wonder back to when Kirby first came to dreamland. A small chuckle came from him as recalled the time the king planned to get the small star warrior fat so he could inhale. Even though they were fighting for freedom Meta Knight had to admit, there was some good times. A sigh escaped him as he reached his room. The looked like it was getting darker as the he walked in as fatigue was over powering his senses. Maybe the dreams wouldn't come to him this time. Maybe he'd be able to get some sleep and this will all just go away. All dreams were unwanted now, not even pleasant ones. The bed came closer and closer before it stopped in front of him. Meta Knight stared at it as he started to thinking about maybe taking off all his armor. No one has ever seen him without his mask on and it could cause unwanted attention Sudden;y it came to him, the closed door he had locked away in his mind. It was no longer locked and now the memories of is first year in the army making themselves known. The weight that he felt in his chest was suddenly lifted and now he felt at least a little bit better. Now that he figured it out he decided to take the chance and take off the mask. He deserves to sleep comfortably now that the mystery was some what solved. Putting a hand to his shoulder pad, Meta Knight unbuckled the heavy mask from it. A cling rang through the room and it was even louder in his ear. With the other hand it repeated the same motion letting the mask just drop to the floor. It was moved to the night table next to the bed before Meta Knight pulled himself on top of the mattress then pull the covers over him. Rolling to his side, he looked to the bare wall before closing his eyes and fall fast to sleep.

Darkness filled his sights and feeling that long forgotten filling his being. His body start shaking and soon he could hear voices that sounded familiar. The urge of wanting to see what as going on forcing its way through the fear. Light peak through as the eye lids started to part.

"He's finally opening his eyes. You scare him good, Brigade." a figure stood with the Young Meta Knight and the dragon looking creature. He was stocky and tall. A pair of horns sprouted from the top of his head but waved back. The color of the skin was light blue green with reddish hair. The clothes were leather with a brown color to it. A large belt kept the pants up while a zipper kept the vest close. Large green should pads with spikes protected the warrior shoulders. Snorting the large head lowered to Meta Knight to get a closer looked at him.

"The little runt survived the battle? Are you sure this isn't a Demon Monster spy?" his voice was deep and gruff. Much like a farmer who saw hard times. Meta Knight stared at the other being until the soldier turned to the other. This was his chance to try and get away but when he turned he quickly noticed he was in a room. When they moved him Meta Knight had his eyes closed in fear which was his first mistake. Now he was stuck there with two beings that looked to him to be monsters.

"What do you think it is, Bruno? It can't be a Demon Beast it isn't even a threat." Brigade put his hands on the hilt of his swords that hung on his sides. He was much larger than his smaller companion Bruno. He wore black armor with a cape draped over his shoulders. What really made him look intimidating was his long neck and reptile like head. Tusk like teeth protruded at the corners of his mouth while his ears came out from behind his eyes and spread out almost like smaller pair of wings. A mane of hair started in the middle of his neck and went up spreading wider becoming longer just behind the ears and top of his head. The bangs reached out and covered his eyes some. His eyes looked down at the small blue ball that was looking to escape.

"I don't think it is... Maybe we should just drop it off at a village and let them take of him." Bruno scratched the back of his.

"I have a better Idea... Why don't we take him." Brigade lowered his head to Meta Knight. The little young one eeped and backed away.

"Come again? We're in a war, we can't take care of a kid. All we can do is raise him how to fight." Bruno crossed his arms and watched the two. This was starting to get annoying. His friend was doing nothing but picking up strays from the battle field. Yeah the army was growing because of it but now they had more inexperience fighters on the battlegrounds and it was some what hurting them.

"What do you say little guy? Why don't you stay here with us. It's safer and there's food." Brigade said to little Meta Knight. Now that he was closer the child could see his eyes better. They were no longer scary but soft with kindness. Silence filling the room as Meta Knight thought about it. He was scared even in this place but at least there was others that could help him when Demons attacked. He turned to the window as if trying to look for the answer outside.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Bruno finally added. This caught Meta Knights attention as he looked to the soldier. Before Bruno was protesting it and now he seemed alright with it. Maybe it would be better for him to stay here. With a nervous nod Meta Knight agreed.

"Welcome home, what do we call you friend?" Brigade smiled and lifted his head back up.

"M-Meta Knight..." the blue ball stuttered.

"Hold it, sorry but knight is something you earn. You just call yourself that." Bruno said.

"Thats what I remember though..." Meta Knight stepped back feeling more nervous.

"Don't worry about. Thats just how our ranks work. For now, we'll just call you Meta. Meta will be your name." Brigade smiled. His hand lifted itself into the air before descending. Meta closed his eyes and braced himself waiting for an attack but instead felt it gently resting on his head. Opening his eyes Meta looked up to meet Brigades calm expression. The feeling of fear faded and the feeling of relaxation came to him. No more running from Demon beasts. No more hiding in fear. This was a place that was called home and now he had something he didn't have before, friends and just maybe a family.


	3. Chapter 2

THWACK!! Meta Knight shot up right startled by the loud sound. Pain ran through his back before he realize that he was on the floor. In his sleep, Meta knight had rolled out of his bed and landed flat on his back. Rubbing his sore back the knight got onto his feet then reached for his mask. It looked like it was still mid day from the way it looked out the window. The door seemed off for some reason, most likely because he was still exhausted from the lack of sleep. Well at least he managed to get some sleep even though he dreamed. The dream stuck itself in his head as Meta Knight slowly walked over to the door. It was a pleasant one this time, the memories of old friends. His mind was started to slow down now that he felt calmer. The door opened with a creek to an empty hallway. It was damp and cold making the knight pull his cape around his body to keep warm. It was kinda odd that there was no Waddle Dee's running around the halls.

"Meta Knight!" Tiff was waving to him at the other end to the hall. Running over, Tiff greeted Meta Knight with a smiled.

"How was your nap? You were asleep for a long time."

"How long was I asleep?" Meta Knight looked at her curiously.

"You've been asleep for a full day..." she said little concern for him. It grew when he just stared at her in surprise. A full day he slept?

"There's some food in the kitchen for you. Sword and Blade put some lamb aside in case you woke up and you were hungry." Tiff smiled as she started to lead him to the kitchen.

"Tiff It's alright. I'm not ve-" there was a long rumble that cut him off as a protest. Meta Knight sighed as his stomach calmed down and gave into what it wanted. It wasn't a long walk to the kitchen so he bit his tongue. It was this time he noticed how big Tiff had gotten. She was no longer the small child that looked after Kirby. Meta knight watched her as he followed her to the kitchen while thinking a bought the dreams. Many of them were pieces of his past, before he became known in his ranks. Maybe thats it. Something that far in his past is effecting the present. It will take some time for him to figure out what but now he has a direction. His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Tiff walked in and headed straight to the fridge while Meta Knight went to sit down.

"Meta Knight... Why are the dreams keeping you up? I mean you never had dreams so severe that it disturbs you like this." She finally asked as she brought the plate over and sat it in next of him. There was silence fell to the room after she got her question out. Tiff knew he was going turn her down but she got a surprise.

"Things that have happened in my past... When I was in the lower ranks." He answered pulling the plate towards him. It was about time he opened up to someone. Tiff was the only one he felt he could trust with this information. The young girl had no intent in embarrassing him nor discredit him.

"I wasn't always the calm rational warrior I am today... I had my moments of recklessness as well." He started to eat with the mask on by lifting the bottom so he could get the fork to his mouth.

"You... Lost a lot of friends back then... Didn't you?" Tiffs voice was soft and she chose her words carefully. There were other times where his past came to haunt him when Knuckle Joe and Silica came to dreamland but he was able to handle them better than these dreams. What ever happened before he climbed in ranks must have been really bad.

"Yes I did... Some to my recklessness. You don't want to hear my live story, Tiff. There's no need for it now." he said Hoping that she would drop the issue like she normally did. However, this time was different.

"No, I do want to hear it. You never talk about anyone nor do you even tell stories about your days in the war like Captain Cosmos." she crossed her arms then leaned back. This was a valid argument that Tiff threw at Meta Knight. The less she knew the more she wanted to know. The stubborn and determination expression she had was staring Meta Knight down making him feel like she was about ready to beat it out of him.

"...I was found by a division on a star a hundred light years from this one... I was as old as Kirby is now when I was found. During that time many towns and villages were being destroyed so the commander took me in." he began while he still ate.

"At first they were just going to let woman warrior take care of me but after picking up a dagger that matched my size they wanted to train me." He continued.

"Did They just trained you?" Tiff asked.

"No, there was another the Commander trained... After he found me. You see, short after finding me the division came across a village that was in the middle of being attacked. The group picked up refugees from there. One of them... Took to me for some reason." His voice soften as the memory of that someone came to his mind.

"What was his name? Did you become good friends.?" Tiff noticed his reaction before she asked him. Never in her life did she see the Knight act this way.

"Her name Was Nina. Our Commander Brigade trained us both. Nina was trained to be quick and agile while I was trained to be strong. Because we were trained together we often did missions together along with raids. That was until the Demons ambushed out base. The division never thought the Demons would attack our base so we were caught off guard... Brigade stayed behind to slow the Beast while many of us small and younger warriors could escape... I never saw him again after that."

"So... He died so the rest of you could get out... What about Nina? If the two of were trained together than she should have been as good as you." Tiff was getting really interested and was beginning to understand why Meta Knight was acting the way he was.

"She was good in her own ways but she never was able to defeat me in a dual. Despite how quick she was she could never take a hit from me." Meta Knight sat back in his seat.

"So what happened? Did you get split up and your just assuming she's dead?" Tiff felt like there was something he need to get out but he can't do it himself. She pressed him to tell her.

"Since your not going to let this go I'll tell you the whole story. It happened several months after the hit on our base." he began. His words formed pictures in Tiffs head s he described the land. It took place in a forest thick with large tress that were so tall it seemed the tips could tickled the bellies of the clouds. It was a cold night with clear skies that made the silence of the forest a bit to creepy for the two figures that walked on its floor. One was a blue round figure with a blue cape. The only anyone could see him was his bright yellow eyes that almost glowed with the moon light hit them. His short arms swung back and forth as he walked calmly through the darkness. The companion was not as confident as he was. She was slightly taller than he was with more of an hour glass body shape. The green was light colored so it could be seen in the dark. Her skin was more of a yellowish tan while her hair was darker. The uniform was that of a roaming Samurai with chest armor. What stood out the most was her large feathered ears which showed her emotions

"Are you sure it's safe to go through here with just the two of us? Brigade always said not to -" the girl started.

"First off, Brigade isn't here and second we don't have a choice." Meat Knight almost snapped. He stopped and looked to Nina when he notice it getting quiet. She looked hurt and depressed showing it by not looking at Meta knight.

"...I'm sorry. Listen, when we get through this forest we'll be able to hook up with the others." he said softly walking to her. "Nothing is going to happen, I promise." He smiled at her when she finally looked at him. Smiling back Nina nodded then started to walk with him again. It felt like they were walking for hours before the forest started to thin out a little. Meta Knight stopped walking when he spotted a castle that was half destroyed. It was large with one wing demolished from sort of fire power.

"Why don't we rest there? It looks safe." Meta knight suggested to his friend.

"I don't think so... Something about that place makes me... Wanna run." Nina looked at the building. It gave a sense of doom and despair that just made her was to stay away.

"It's a castle thats falling apart. What's dangerous about it than it maybe collapsing?" Meta tried to brush her feelings off.

"Meta, that didn't help." Crossing her arms, Nina narrowed her eyes at him.

"Come on, we might find something we can use... Maybe even eat. I'm starving." Meta Knight began to walk to the castle with out a care in the world with Nina protesting behind him. During the time it took them to get to the building they did nothing but argue. Nina wanted to keep going while Meta Knight wanted to stop and find food.

"All I want is something to eat... " Meta said simply.

"Why don't you just inhale like always? I'm sure you'll catch a mouse..." Nina stopped and looked a the busted gate. The hair on the back of her neck went up when a cold breeze blew by her.

"Want me to hold your hand?" Meta smirked. When they first met Nina clung to him like a lost puppy but after Brigade started to train her it all but ceased. However, she was still young and a girl which made her a target for some of his pranks and teasing. He didn't hate her but respected the fact Nina tries to help her fellow warriors.

"I'm perfectly fine thank you very much." she said marching forward into the darkness. It slowed as is got darker but then lit up suddenly. Spinning around Nina looked to see what caused it.

"It would help if you took a torch." Meta Knight walked passed her with torch in hand. It was a strange looking hallway. The walls were bare with no debre from an attack. The smell of moss and dust was tickling his nose to the point where he sneezed making the particles scatter in the air. The more he walked the more curious he got about the building. The stone blocks looked brittle from age along the vines that managed to creep in.

"Meta... I don't there's food in here..." Nina moved closer to him.

"Maybe... But I don't want to leave yet. We could probably us this place as a new base." Meta Knight kept walking calmly not really reacting to Nina's growing concern. It wasn't long before they got to a large room that looked to be a throne room. Plant life made it their home making it difficult to see if there was anything else in the room. Meta Knight walked deeper into the room towards where the throne would be. He had to admit it was exciting to be in a place like this. The imagination of the young soldier began to race forming pictures in his mind of what this place would have looked like. While he was in own little word Nina was was walking around looking at the statues that were in the room. Gashes and erosion made it impossible to determine what they would have looked like. Her hand glided slowly on the surface of one of them as thoughts ran through her mind. Was this place attacked by the Demon Beast? If so wouldn't that mean that there's still Demons near by?

"Meta Knight, I think we better get going... I don't think its safe." Nina called to her friend.

"Aw come on. What could happen?" Suddenly the floor rocked violently under their feet causing Nina to fall and Meta Knight to struggle to keep his balance. With out thinking Meta ran down a hall leading out of the room to another where the incident came from. The room was dark except for a large float ball of purple light. Stopping, Meta knight pulled out his sword getting ready to fight. His childish nature vanished and the soldier in him taking over. He glance behind him as Nina caught up with her own sword drawn. The ball floated in the middle of the room not moving anywhere.

"So, there are still some one here. I have to admit you Star Warriors are like Cockroaches, you never know when to stay in that little hole of yours." said strange voice. It was dark with a pitch that was not quite high but still made the hair on the back of your neck rise. Meta Knight narrowed his eyes not letting this thing freak him out. He saw many things in his life so far that made him get to a point to expect the unexpected. The knight eyes fixated on the sphere as it began to dematerialize. The particles then came together again to form a floating hooded cape. The inside was nothing but dark matter forming an endless void. Glowing red eyes opened in the before a white toothily smile joined them. It was nothing either Star Warriors had faced before. This Demon was darker and more menacing than the ones that attacked them. It's hand floated out of the void then came together letting only the long sharp nails meet in delight.

"Meta Knight... We're in over our heads, we need to run." Nina said getting back.

"It's only one Demon, we can take him." Meta stepped forward.

"In that case I'll tell you who I am before I kill you. This way you'll remember me while you lay in your grave. I am Dark Matter. Faithful servant of Nightmare and your grim reaper." he said with a bow. This didn't phase Meta Knight at all. Reason was out the window and his wanting to kill this thing took over as he charged at the Demon. It was all or nothing as he leapt into the air with his sword up high. The Demon watched calmly as the knight came closer as gravity was pulling him back to earth. Nina gasped when sword was swung at the target but did not meet. Dark Matter at the last minute vanished then reappeared in between Nina and Meta Knight. Spinning around Meta Knight got the Demon back into his sights.

"Nina! Move!" Meta Knight drove his sword in the ground while Nina ran off to the side. She watched from behind some debre as she couldn't help but wonder where her friend learn this ability. Meta Knight open his mouth wide and suddenly a vacuum was pulling everything loose into his mouth. It was amazing that he could do this and the fact he was always hungry after inhaling every was remarkable. However, Dark Matter Simply laughed as he inched to Meta Knight.

"Such a lovely technique. Such an skilled warrior. It would be a waste to kill you or let you live as a Star Warrior." the smile grew as he pulled his hands close together. A sphere of blue light formed then was released into the vacuum. The sphere entered Meta Knight s mouth just before he closed it. At first nothing happen but suddenly he began to scream in pain while electric energy wrapped around him. Fear rushed to his heart, fear of death as memories rushed through his. The memories of when he ran from the Demon horde and from the Demon attack. With out thinking he ran to Nina and grabbed her hand as he continued to run away. He didn't hear Nina's cries for him to stop or slow down. All he heard was the laughter of Dark Matter coming closer to him as if they were being chase. The wall creaked as they started to give way to their age. Nina cried out for him to stop when she noticed the floor starting to crack under them. Dark Matters laughter stopped to a scream from behind Meta Knight. Everything seemed to into slow motion as he felt her hand slip out of his making him look behind him. Nina was falling but on to the floor but into a hole created by the floor collapsing. She was so close yet so far from him. Meta Knights hand reached out to grab hers only to brush against her finger tips. Nina's eyes met his as she fell then disappeared into the darkness.

"Nina!!" he screamed out. His head shot up when the laughter began again. Dark Matter was staring at him smiled in the hall way. There was no choice, Meta Knight had to save himself. He turned and quickly ran from the scene. The hallway walls rushed past him as he ran alone. The images of his friend staring back at him as she fell stuck in his mind with Dark Matter laughing at him. Laughing at how weak he was. How reckless he was for trying to fight the Demon. Meta Knight paid the price alright. He was now a lone and something inside him told him that he was not going to see this through. That fear drove him out of the castle and through the forest. Soon he stopped to catch his breath. It was hard with his chest hurting with every breath he took. Meta Knight eyes squinted when light reached them. It was morning and he has cleared the woods. This day was the start of his journey through the ranks of the Star Warrior army. The day where he vowed that he would never put any of his friends in danger like that again. He looked back to the forest and say his childhood friend that he would never see again. Never again will he be this reckless.

Meta Knight sat in his seat in silence after finishing his story. Tiff never seen him like this before. The sadness in his eyes was visable and clear as water. The story was proof that even the Great Sir Meta Knight wasn't always perfect nor wise. At one time he was a kid that just wanted to have fun during a time of war. It was like when N.M.E. was still around and Meta Knight would help them defeat the Demons. Tiff can now understand the other reason why he would go out of his way to help at times. He didn't want their childhood to be like his.

"You cared for her very much..." Tiff said softly.

"We were raised together... She was family." he sighed. He could feel the loss even to this day along with the loss of many of his friends. After coming to dreamland he didn't think he would be able to have comrades again until he met Sword and Blade. Then he began to serve the King and befriended the two children. He thought he had healed but it seems somethings can never be healed.

"I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to bring back those memories." Tiff got up.

"No, don't be. They were back even before you asked me to tell you." Meta Knight followed and tried to sound less down than he was before. In fact he had to admit he felt better know that he spoke to her. There was always a trust between Tiff and himself. When Tiff smiled at him, meta Knight couldn't help but smile back even though she couldn't see it. It was now late and the moon had risen up into the sky to light the darkness. Tuff and Kirby had already headed inside to continue to play and horse around like all young men do. Tiff left Meta Knight to his rounds around the castle to finish up her studies for the day. It was quiet as always but there was still something in the air. The Image of Dark Matter was stuck in Meta Knight's mind as he did his rounds. He couldn't recall the Demons demise nor have he heard anyone talk about him. Did Dark Matter perish or is he still out there? Is it possible for him to pick up where Nightmare left off? The elder knight shook his head to push the thoughts aside. He wanted sleep this night and to worry about this in the morning. The door to his room called to him at the end of his patrol. In there was the forms of his subordnits already asleep. It wasn't hard to sneak in to his bed since he was a master of being quiet. This time he left his mask on knowing that tonight he would be able to sleep. Talking to Tiff helped clear his mind of memories for once. Closing his eyes, the darkness came and pulled him to sleep. There will be no dreams tonight as a reward for him finally opening up to his friends about his past that didn't relate to a battle that kirby would have.


End file.
